This invention is related generally to U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,202 issued on Aug. 29, 1990 to Edward C. Bruno, one of the co-inventors of the present invention in that said patent is directed to a tamper proof recloseable plastic bag.
Recloseable bags made with male and female mating profiles are known in the art. In one type of commonly used recloseable bags, an arrowhead shaped male mating profile is received in a female member which engages and retains the male member in locked engagement. In order to permit the disengagement or unlocking of the profiles, one side of the arrowhead is rounded and/or made shorter or smaller to facilitate disengagement from the female member when the profiles are forcibly pulled apart. The foregoing permits the bag to be closed, opened and reclosed as necessary.
Another common type of mating profiles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,720 wherein the mating profiles comprise a three legged configuration in which the three legs of one profile straddle the three legs of the other profile and certain of the legs have arrowhead shaped ends which are engaged by hooked shaped ends of other legs. Other configurations of mating profiles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,731,911; 4,736,451; 4,964,739; and 5,017,021.
In addition to U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,202, cited above, various prior art patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,505 and 3,618,281 disclose recloseable plastic bags which provide tamper evidencing means. The purpose or feature of such bags is to assure that product, once placed within the bag, has not been tampered with, damaged, or despoiled before it reaches the intended user.